Cats are great at grooming themselves. However, you may need to clean your cat if she can't get the job done. If your cat soils the fur of her bottom with urine or feces, walks through a petrochemical spill, or rubs against something sticky, you'll need to completely clean her coat. Determine what's making your cat's coat dirty, properly clean the mess, and get her fur looking its best.

Steps

Method1

Cleaning Off Fecal Staining

1

Look for fecal staining. Check the fur along your cat's anus for feces that may be stuck. You might see dried balls of feces that have gotten stuck, especially if your cat has long hair. Or, you may see general soiling around her bottom.

Your cat may have fecal staining if she's had diarrhea or has stomach upset. These can make it hard for her to adequately groom herself.

2

Remove fecal balls from the fur. Brush the area around your cat's anus, which might remove some of the small dry fecal balls.[1] If they remain stuck, trim them away using a pair of scissors. Make sure the scissor blades are clear of the skin when you trim.

Avoid trimming wet fur. The fur should be dry so you can get scissors beneath the pellets or balls.

3

Spot clean minor fecal staining. If you only see a small patch of fur stained with feces, you can spot clean the area. You'll need a bowl of warm water, cat shampoo, and a cloth. Dip the cloth in the bowl of water and use it to wet the soiled area of fur. Rub shampoo into the area till you get a lather and rinse it well with the cloth. Keep wetting and wringing out the cloth until the water runs clear and the suds are removed.[2]

You may find it easier to place your cat's bottom in a basin or sink. This way, you can clean the entire back end if the soiled area is hard to clean with just a cloth.

4

Clean general soiling. Your cat's coat may have general soiling if she's had diarrhea or stomach upset. Blot away the worst of the mess with a disposable kitchen towel. Once most of the mess is removed, wash your cat's bottom with a mild cat shampoo. Gently lather the area around your cat's anus, taking care if it's particularly sensitive. Have someone help you hold your cat while you rinse the shampoo off.

Avoid using human shampoo. The pH balance is not formulated for cats and it could irritate your cat's skin.[3]

If you can, use a cat shampoo that contains oatmeal. This can help moisturize your cat's sensitive skin.

5

Dry your cat's fur. Using a dry clean towel, gently rub the wet fur to remove most of the water. Toweling should quickly dry the area if you spot cleaned the fur. If you cleaned general soiling from most of her fur, you may want to use a blow dryer on the mildest setting. Brush the fur while you blow dry it to prevent tangling.[4]

You may want another person's help in drying your cat if you choose to use the blow dryer. One person should hold the cat firmly, but gently while the other person blow drys and brushes the cat.

Method2

Removing Lily Pollen From Fur

1

Remove pollen from dry fur. Take a disposable kitchen towel and wipe it over the pollen on your cat's coat. Try to remove as much of the pollen as you can while the fur is dry. For each wipe, use a new clean area of the paper towel so that you don't simply spread the pollen around. Keep wiping until there is no more pollen on the coat or the towel comes away clean.[5]

Try to remove the pollen as soon as you notice it on your cat's fur. This will reduce the chance of your cat grooming herself and accidentally ingesting the toxic poison. If you cannot be certain you have removed all the pollen, fit her with a buster collar to prevent her licking and go to a vet.

2

Make sure the pollen is completely removed. Take a damp cloth and wet your cat's coat. Wipe the cloth over the area to remove any pollen residue. If you still suspect there's pollen on your cat's fur, drizzle water over her coat to rinse away any last pollen particles. Pat the coat dry with clean towels.

Don't be alarmed if your cat starts grooming herself after this treatment. You're simply trying to prevent the cat from grooming herself while there's still pollen on her fur.

3

Contact the veterinarian. If you suspect your cat licked her coat before you were able to clean her, remove the remaining pollen and then contact the veterinarian. While you'll need to get your cat to the vet quickly, take the time to remove the pollen first so your cat doesn't ingest more.[6]

The vet may need to run blood tests to check your cat's kidneys. Your cat may need to be put on a drip to support her kidney function.

4

Understand the danger of lily pollen to your cat. Avoid keeping lilies in or around your home. If your cat brushes against lilies, she'll groom herself to remove the pollen from her fur. Lily pollen is a serious coat contaminant that can cause kidney failure or poisoning. Other plants that are poisonous to your cat include:[7]

Daffodils

Tulips

Amaryllis

Crocus

Method3

Cleaning Off Petrochemicals From Fur

1

Determine if your cat's fur has petrochemical soiling. Your cat may have gotten petrochemicals on her fur. These chemicals can be toxic or irritate your cat's fur. Irritated or inflamed sore skin can become infected and if the toxin is ingested, your cat may vomit, have diarrhea, or experience organ damage. Common petrochemicals your cat may encounter include:[8]

Tar

Turpentine

Wax

Glue

Varnish

Paint

Household cleaners (These may contain benzalkonium chloride which cause caustic burns to the tongue. Your cat may stop eating if exposed to this chemical).

Antifreeze

2

Stop your cat from licking herself. If the area soiled with petrochemicals is small, clean the area immediately. However, if you need to get cleaning supplies out and fear your cat may start grooming herself, stop her licking first. The best way to do this is to fit a plastic Buster or Elizabethan collar around her neck.[9] This will keep her from licking her body or paws. If you have neither of these, wrap the cat in a towel and have a friend hold her while you get your cleaning supplies.

If you don't have a collar, look where the contamination is and improvise. For example, if the substance is on her body, you might make a body wrap by using a small baby gown, or cutting holes for her legs in a large sock or stocking.

If the contaminated area is on her paws, try bandaging them or putting on baby socks and securing them in place with some adhesive bandage material.

3

Trim off the contaminated fur. If the substance has dried and is hard, you'll need to carefully trim off the contaminated fur. Take care never to cut the skin itself, which is easily done if the substance goes right down to the skin.[10]

If the tips of the fur are affected, slide a comb between the skin and the contamination. This way, you can cut above the comb and avoid accidentally cutting the skin.

4

Soften and clean the soiled area. If the substance is still soft or is too close to the skin to trim away, then you need to further soften and then bathe away the contamination. Use a hand cleaner used by motor mechanics that is made to dissolve grease and oil. Or, apply a vegetable cooking oil like sunflower, vegetable, or olive oil. Work the oil into the area and as it softens, wipe away the contamination with a dry cloth.

Keep repeating the softening and wiping until most of the petrochemicals are removed.

Avoid softening the area with tea tree, eucalyptus, or citrus oils since these are toxic to cats.[11]

5

Wash and rinse the contaminated area. Once you've trimmed or softened the soiled area, wash your cat's fur. Wet her coat with warm water and apply a cat shampoo. Rub the shampoo to a lather and rinse with warm water until the water runs clear. The area should be completely clean of petrochemicals and oil (if you used it to soften the substance). Towel dry your cat or use a blow dryer on the cool setting.[12]

Avoid using human shampoo. The pH balance is not formulated for cats and it could irritate your cat's skin.[13]